Barr & Barr renovates Princeton center

Real Estate Weekly, March 21, 2001

Barr & Barr, Inc., a New York City-based construction firm, recently completed the renovation of the landmark Frist Campus Center at Princeton University. The project involved renovation and restoration of the historic 110,000 SF building and construction of a brand-new 90,000 SF addition to the property.

Barr & Barr was responsible for updating the older, portion of the structure, which houses administrative offices, classrooms, and two theatres, to make it technologically viable for today's teaching standards, while maintaining the building's historical integrity. Every mechanical item in the building was demolished and removed while new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and state-of-the-art audiovisual systems were installed. In addition, Barr & Barr restored existing finishes to their original conditions. Stile and rail wood doors were restored and simultaneously upgraded to the latest ADA hardware requirements.

The new 90,000 SF addition was built to serve as the heart of the Campus Center, with food service venues, dining room areas, beverage and cafe pubs, and a multipurpose room. The design of the new portion of the building required a partially underground section that greatly restricted access to the rest of the building during construction, so Barr & Barr implemented careful scheduling to minimize disruption to the project.